Projection

[Chad Thorne]

I own a Rogue Chinese-made, plywood mandolin. Let's agree as a working assumption that it's a POS. My question: could I expect more projection, i.e., volume, from a better quality instrument? Or are mandolins just not very loud? I played a solo gig at a coffee house last week and wanted to debut my newly-acquired mando chops. The difference in volume between my 1970 Guild D-40 guitar and mando (both mic'd at the same level) was marked.

Or is it an unfair test to compare a plywood mandolin with a fine quality guitar like the D-40?

[ira]

i can't tell you if its a quality of instrument, but when playing unamplified, my mando offers projection to be heard beyond the sound of any guitarist with whom i've played, so it might be your specific instrument, but it isn't mandos. my ky150s which does not have great tonal qualities is exceptionally loud as well and it is a slight notch above a pos.

[Celtic Saguaro]

One fact about arch-backed mandolins with f-holes is that they are always quieter to the player than they are to the listeners six or seven feet away. #Have someone else play your mando a little for you to listen, so you can decide if you really have a problem or not. If the mandolin is half-decent (and I can't guarantee yours is) you'll be pleasantly surprised.

No it's not fair to compare a Rogue with a D-40, but your audience will! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Chad Thorne]

One fact about arch-backed mandolins with f-holes is that they are always quieter to the player than they are to the listeners six or seven feet away. #Have someone else play your mando a little for you to listen, so you can decide if you really have a problem or not. If the mandolin is half-decent (and I can't guarantee yours is) you'll be pleasantly surprised.
My wife was at the back of the room and remarked on the volume difference. This actually works for me; now she feels I need a new and better mandolin. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Celtic Saguaro]

Score! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[BlueMountain]

Tested with a decibel meter, probably a lot of laminated mandolins will be louder than most guitars, even as much as 6-10 decibels louder, which is VERY noticeable. However, if your guitar player was strumming hard on the bass strings of his very bass-heavy dreadnaught and the bass was up on the EQ, it could drown out your mandolin. But do a fairer comparison. Use a decibel meter as you play a lead solo on your mandolin. Then play the same solo on the Guild with the same force on the pick and the same notes on the scale. You will certainly find that the mandolin is louder. Have you ever been at a jam without mics where you could hear the mandolin solos just fine, but you could bearly hear the guitar solos? Or have you ever been at a bluegrass festival and noticed that it's often pretty hard to hear guitar solos? There's a reason for that.

[Dave Cowles]

I have noticed in our weekly bluegrass jams that most of the lower end mandolins, even solid wood models, don't have as much bark as the higher quality ones do. I'm also a believer that it is a combination of volume and quality of tone that makes a mando "heard." A high quality, f-hole mandolin has a sweetness and woodiness to it that somehow enlarges the projection, at least to my ears. I play a handmade F-5 style and have been told it will "blow your eyebrows back ", but when I'm playing it, it just sounds sweet from behind it.
Dave

[250sc]

Each mando will be different but if you play something comparible to an A9 or MT you should be able to compete with any flat top guitar in terms of volume.

[gcmando]

My first mando was one of those cheap Rogue models. It was the quietest mando I have ever played, by a lot. I could only stand it for about a month (there were other problems too, but for under $100, it wasn't bad). Since that time, I have owned about 15 others by various makers, and they have all been louder than the Rogue--much louder, not just a little bit. If I remember correctly, the top was pretty thick, and it didn't seem able to vibrate much. You might try going to a store and playing some others, just for comparision.

[Chad Thorne]

*bumpety*

Weirdest thing. I bought a lefty bridge saddle from Cumberland Acoustics (I play lefty and had restrung the Rogue, but it was out of intonation), installed it - and now my mandolin is louder! When I first played it I thought I was hallucinating but then my wife said, "Wow, it's louder!"

I figure it has something to do with being properly intonated. Thoughts?

[ab4usa]

Chad,

Fellow lefty here. You should probably get a new nut as well for even more improvement. At our jam last week the Bass player, sitting accross from me and the guitar player, told the guitar player to plug in cause he couldn't hear the guitar. I think some of the difference is attack but also, IMHO, a good mandolin will compete with a banjo and usually play over an acoustic guitar.

[Chad Thorne]

Chad,

Fellow lefty here. You should probably get a new nut as well for even more improvement...

Alan,

Probably, but I'm only willing to invest just so much time/energy/money into polishing this POS. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

My G strings were sharp near the nut though in tune at the 12th fret, so I opined that the problem was the strings sitting on top of too-narrow slots. Enlarged the slots with a steak knife, the strings now sit down in them nicely. Problem solved.

[I]

[arbarnhart]

You can get a substantial volume increase with a lighter bridge. There is an article about that at Frets.com.

[Eric F.]

Chad, you've also just upgraded the bridge considerably from the one that came with the Rogue, so that probably has a lot to do with it.

[Golman8]

I bought a Rogue A model for my grand son and the bridge was glued on with some kind of thick, gooey stuff. I removed the goo and fitted the bridge and it was much louder. After all that my grand son has not shown much interest, maybe later? G.B.:)

[Flowerpot]

A good mandolin should be considerably louder than a good guitar when playing lead on each. At least in bluegrass circles. Volume ins't everything, but if it's too quiet and unresponsive, it's very frustrating to play. There's nothing quite like hitting a mandolin at moderate intensity and having the sound jump out and fill the room -- but unfortunately, loud, rich, and responsive mandolins are usually high dollar items.

And I agree with 'dmcowles' that there's a certain tonal profile, a "pop" and depth, that helps a mandolin be heard in an ensemble or above ambient noise. I don't remember who it was, somebody here on the cafe, who said their litmus test for a good mandolin was to play it in the bathroom while the tub was filling with water. If they could hear it clearly above the running water, then it was a good 'un. I like that idea.

My main mandolin is not the loudest on earth, but it's loud enough, and has a wonderful sweet rich tone that drips honey. It balances well in a 5-piece ensemble. I have another mandolin that I don't like as well generally, but it's a banjo killer and a half, just plain LOUD and by comparison less refined. I pull it out for those three-banjo, 7-guitar jams which I normally avoid but sometimes get drawn into, in which case sheer volume trumps tone. It's nice to have an ace in the hole -- but I did pay my dues playing on what I could afford at the moment for may years, and learned how to get the most out of an el-cheapo before moving on. That's not to say you shouldn't look for a better mandolin; I guess I'm just saying I "feel your pain."